The Michigan-based natural and organic food company’s Catholic president angers some liberal critics by filing suit against the HHS mandate.

JOAN FRAWLEY DESMOND

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Not every “crunchy” producer of organic foods is a social liberal, and this “shocking” truth has prompted calls for a boycott of Eden Foods, which has been accused of advancing a stealth “right-wing” agenda.

Last month, Eden Foods, which dubs itself “the oldest natural and organic food company in North America,” and its Catholic president/co-founder, Michael Potter, filed suit in a Michigan federal court against the Department of Health and Human Services.

The suit charges that the federal contraception and abortifacient mandate “forces employers and individuals to violate their religious beliefs” and “attacks and desecrates a foremost tenet of the Catholic Church.”

Weeks after Eden Foods filed suit, an April 11 post on Salon.com drew its readers’ attention to what the liberal media outlet viewed as an unacceptable violation of political correctness: “Organic Eden Foods’ Quiet Right-Wing Agenda.”

Salon’s Irin Carmon accused the organic-foods company of violating the liberal precept of reproductive rights, while seducing its consumers with a message that she said “seems designed to appeal to liberals, from the slogan ‘Organic agriculture is society’s brightest hope for positive change’ to the ’60s imagery and the use of the word ‘revolution’ in some of its print marketing.”

Carmon complained that a company with a mission statement that vows to “contribute to peaceful evolution on earth” sharply departed from that goal by adopting “another form of purity — to Catholic doctrine about sex being solely for procreation. That goes not just for Potter, but for all 128 of his employees.”

The columnist did not document the suggestion that organic-food purveyors are predictably “liberal.” Indeed, as Carmon herself noted, allies of President Obama are still smarting over attacks on his health bill by Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, who called Obamacare “like fascism.”

Still, the scolding from Salon was enough to generate a wave of hostile coverage on partisan news sites and tweets calling for a boycott of the company.

Containing the Controversy

Eden Foods has scrambled to tamp down the protests and clarify the reasons for the lawsuit.

“This lawsuit does not block, or intend to block, anyone’s access to health care or reproductive management. This lawsuit is about protecting religious freedom and stopping the government from forcing citizens to violate their conscience,” read an April 17 statement from Potter.

But Eden Foods’ CEO plans to stand his ground on the legal challenge and will appear in U.S. district court on May 10 for oral arguments in the case.

An initial ruling denied the plaintiffs’ application for a temporary restraining order against the application of the HHS mandate, but set the May 10 date to hear arguments regarding the company’s request for a preliminary injunction while the case proceeds.

The Thomas More Law Center is representing the company and Potter. The organization has also represented Legatus and Dominos Pizza founder Thomas Monahan in additional legal challenges to the HHS mandate.

Erin Mercino, a trial counsel with the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based law center, which “defends and promotes America’s Judeo-Christian heritage and moral values,” said that Potter’s failure to secure a temporary restraining order forces his company to provide mandated co-pay-free coverage of contraception, sterilization and abortifacients “in violation of his beliefs.”

“We hope for a fast response from court and then make decisions from there,” Mercino told the Register. “There is still hope that this can be tackled in the court.”

She reported that Potter moved forward with the lawsuit shortly after “he discovered that Blue Cross Blue Shield had added the provisions without his knowledge.”

Potter told Blue Cross that he did not want the provision in the health benefits he provided employees, but the law required the insurance carrier to comply with the mandate, said Mercino.

Five days later, “on March 20, we filed for an emergency temporary restraining order.”

Potter’s Perspective

During an April 21 interview with AnnArbor.com, Potter said Eden Foods’ board of directors and management weighed the possibility that the lawsuit might alienate customers, but he decided to press ahead.

“We had to object to the blatant government overreach that we saw happening,” he said in the interview.

“The affront to the exercise of religious practices is quite obvious,” he added. “We felt that the safe thing to do would have been to be an ostrich and stick our head in the sand, but we decided not to do that.”

Now he is concerned about the long-term impact of the social-media campaign against his legal action.

“There have been a lot of threats and declarations of boycotts on the Internet, so that’s certainly alarming,” he said.

“We’ve had some people saying they’ll buy more and a lot of people saying they won’t buy anything.”

Some of Eden Foods' critics are angry about the company’s efforts to deny employees access to contraception. But others reject Potter’s refusal to subscribe to a secular creed of privatized religion.

“If you’re a business, then the government has a right to regulate commerce and institute mandates. If you’re a religious organization, then you need to clearly state that and maybe get out of the ‘business’ end,” argued the Daily Kos’ “Tiger Mom.”

But Mercino responds that Potter’s Catholic faith and values had influenced the creation of Eden Foods back in the '60s and still anchored his company policies.

Said Mercino, “It is impossible for him to check his religious beliefs at the door.”

Hey there Paula, fancy seeing you here. We need more people with good logical comments to post on Eden’s facebook site, these boycotters, for the most part, are blowing this whole thing out of proportion. Who knew there were so many drama queens on the left?

Posted by Paula Gehringer on Wednesday, May, 1, 2013 3:05 PM (EDT):

One quibble, re: “Some of Eden Foods’ critics are angry about the company’s efforts to deny employees access to contraception..”

The company is not restricting or denying any employee’s access to contraceptives. These drugs and devices are still readily available and can be obtained and purchased by the employee using their own means of payment.

Eden Foods did not offer such coverage under their previous health care policy and no one has presented proof that this limited access to birth control for their employees.

Posted by Mary on Wednesday, May, 1, 2013 1:08 AM (EDT):

Thank you Karen for posting the websites to support Eden Foods. “The only thing for the triumph of evil is for good men do nothing” - Edmund Burke

Posted by Mary on Tuesday, Apr, 30, 2013 1:18 AM (EDT):

@Will Montgomery…Your statement is the most ridiculous I have ever read.

Anyone here supporting Eden Foods should also go to their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/edenfoods click like & leave some comments, the poor guy is being hammered by all of the “I want you to pay for it” liberals.

Posted by c matt on Monday, Apr, 29, 2013 10:39 AM (EDT):

Let me get this straight - some left-liberal site copmplains that an organic food seller is against paying for people to ingest synthetic hormones? I think Salon needs to increase its iron(y) supplements - it obviously does not get enough.

Posted by savvy on Monday, Apr, 29, 2013 9:55 AM (EDT):

Will Montgomery,

Eden Foods is not being forced to promote, non-organic food. But, the mandate is being forced on everybody even if it violates their principles.

Posted by Will Montgomery on Friday, Apr, 26, 2013 9:42 PM (EDT):

Eden Foods, Inc. is a legal contrivance, not an actual human person with religious beliefs of any kind. If Mr. Potter wanted to assert religious freedom, he shouldn’t have incorporated the business that he founded. It is quite literally absurd for a person in Mr. Potter’s position—who started out by establishing a distinct legal entity whose primary function was to shield _him_ from personal responsibility—to subsequently claim personal prerogative of any kind in the operation of that entity, including but not limited to his personal religious beliefs. Mr. Potter, and the bosses of corporations everywhere, cannot have it both ways.

Posted by savvy on Friday, Apr, 26, 2013 12:47 PM (EDT):

Eoin Patterson,

I am not promoting single mothers, just saying that most women who have abortions are single, and should not be shunned, because that would push them towards an abortion . I also said, it’s the price we pay for fewer abortions. A price, the pro-life movement should not be complaining about.

As for reducing abortions, the pro-life movement has already built alternate institutions to do this.

Eden has top quality products—we are going to quadruple our purchases just to support them. They have the lowest prices on 5lb bags of Organic flours, grains (for flours or sprouting), and many other healthy products our family uses.

I am so glad they are standing up for their First Amendment Rights, and especially, their God-Given rights to follow God, and to not participate in intrinsic evil such as abortifacients, mutilation of women/men (sterilizing), etc.

We have stopped purchasing from Whole Foods, as they are a hug supporter of Planned Parenthood (Kermit Gosnell, anyone?), and they support the tearing down of the traditional family and marriage (aka “Gay” Marriage).

It is refreshing and encouraging that an Organic/Natural Food Company that we purchase from actually supports and upholds the Organic/Natural Plan of God—To be Fruitful and Multiply—to not be forced to pay for drugs and services that go against Life itself.

Posted by Eoin Patterson on Thursday, Apr, 25, 2013 10:14 PM (EDT):

Savvy: So your answer to the evil of abortion is for children to be raised without fathers? I’m not sure that’s a great answer. I know that the overwhelming majority of PA and NJ inmates are the products of single-parent homes, with the parent being the mother. Fatherlessness is a social pathology which leads to further social pathologies. Among these are criminality, poverty and dependence upon government. A healthy society does not stay healthy that way.

Posted by Eoin Patterson on Thursday, Apr, 25, 2013 9:59 PM (EDT):

Real Christian:
How are we a bunch of hypocrites, exactly? Even if the availability of oral contraceptives did reduce abortions, we can still oppose both without being hypocrites. We could still, rightfully, call ourselves pro-life, as there would still be other ways to reduce abortions. When you’re throwing around accusations, try to at least make logical sense.

Also, if you are a real Christian, you certainly must know that all Christian churches opposed the use of contraceptives until 1930. So, you’re castigating us for believing what all Christian churches espoused until relatively recently.

You know nothing about Christianity, the track record of contraceptives, or how to construct a logical argument. Good luck in life. Bitterness and hate will only get you so far, unless, of course, you enter politics, journalism, or academia.

Posted by pjd on Thursday, Apr, 25, 2013 9:26 PM (EDT):

Thanks for standing strong, Eden Foods! I will definitely look for your products on my next shopping trip and will spread the word to all my friends.

Posted by savvy on Thursday, Apr, 25, 2013 6:02 PM (EDT):

Real Christian,

The stigma you paint does not exist, since contraception is widely use in most places. This has not reduced abortion rates.

Posted by savvy on Thursday, Apr, 25, 2013 5:49 PM (EDT):

Real Christian,

Co-realtion does not equate cause. The main reason why abortion rates have gone down, is because we no longer shun unmarried mothers, so they do not feel compelled to have abortions. This is the price any healthy society should be willing to pay for fewer abortions.

A lot of people on both sides miss this.

Posted by Mary Hansen on Thursday, Apr, 25, 2013 4:57 PM (EDT):

Mr Potter, Thank you, thank you, thank you for offering employment, a Christian work environment, a healthy product, and a healthy lifestyle. I will seek out Eden products and begin purchasing more of them.

Posted by A thought on Thursday, Apr, 25, 2013 3:41 PM (EDT):

Interesting responses. The problem is, if one is not in a safe, secure marriage and ready to conceive children - one must be extremely careful. Birthcontrol “gadgets” can come off, some chemicals cause cancer - this we now KNOW to be Factual, and ingestian of some simple over-the-counter medicines can cause birth control chemicals to be ineffective. The best time to have children is in marriage. There is no other way around this “view.” It is basic science (as well as morality and hygiene). One-third of the nation has s.t.d.‘s. An Oklahoma dental practice was shut down weeks ago. Patients were getting hepatitis and 60 got aids/hiv. They were not properly STERILIZING their dental tools. Very scary to “poop all over” science,hygiene and morality. There is no debate here. These are the facts. We can live without hoochy koo if it is going tokill us or our little ones. Common sense. We will need to stay off thebooze and drugs though and away from situations (you undersand). Time to be sober and in the real world. Thank you.

Posted by TG on Thursday, Apr, 25, 2013 2:00 PM (EDT):

Real Christian, birth control pills can kill. They almost killed my daughter and I have a friend who’s my age but almost disabled due to a blood clot in her lung. Get a grip. Taxpayers should not be forced to buy birth control pills. They are not medicine.

Posted by Stilbelieve on Thursday, Apr, 25, 2013 1:44 PM (EDT):

You know, there is a simple way Catholics could stop all this affront, and potential attacks, to our beliefs and freedoms from the federal government without spending any money. All Catholics have to is decide, once and for all, if they really believe what they say they believe in Sunday Mass concerning God as the creator of life, and praying for His “will (to) be done on earth,” and then live and act accordingly to those beliefs.

The Church teaches it is a sin against the 5th Commandment to join organizations “such as the KKK and the Nazi Party” that promotes denying people their human respect. If it is a sin to join those organizations then what is it when you join an organization that promotes and supports the killing of unborn human life such as the pro-abortion, pro-homosexual marriage and anti-First Amendment Constitutional Right to Freedom of Religion - Democrat Party? Why do Catholics have to rely on the court system and spend money for lawyers when Catholics who are true to what they say they believe in and pray for simply have to remove their names and support from that organization until they change their positions on those issue affecting our culture. They don’t have to join another organization; just stop giving that ELECTIVE POWER to that organization that is causing all these problems for Catholics. Catholics are the largest, single group of people in that organization and they GIVE that organization the ELECTIVE POWER to attack God’s laws that we say we believe in.

To Catholics who joined that organization, remember, God said in the Bible, both Old and New: If you love him - choice life. If you are “lukewarm” he’ll spit you out. Think about it; think real hard - because your eternal life is at stake.

Posted by Mary on Thursday, Apr, 25, 2013 1:33 PM (EDT):

@Real Cristian - probably you agree with birth control, but as Catholic, we disagree with you, with birth control you are playing God and doing your will, not God’s Will.

Posted by Mary on Thursday, Apr, 25, 2013 1:27 PM (EDT):

” did everyone forget that Pope Benedict XVI and other church leaders declared healthcare a human right?”

I guess you do not know that even the Catholic church has a lawsuit against the HHS Mandate, because Bully Obama is taking away our FREEDOM!!!

Posted by Real Christian on Thursday, Apr, 25, 2013 1:23 PM (EDT):

What a bunch of hypocrites.

Study after study shows that in nations where birth control is made accessible, affordable, and without all this ridiculous stigma abortions rates decrease significantly.

But you all would rather see more abortions.

Stop pretending to be pro-life.

Posted by poetcomic1 on Thursday, Apr, 25, 2013 1:18 PM (EDT):

Dear ‘so called’ Real Christian -
The Japanese manufacturer of the soy formula (which was never meant to be a complete diet) had a pamphlet falsely claiming it is a ‘complete formula’. This was called to the attention of Eden who promptly withdrew the pamphlets. Much later ONE woman in Canada who claimed to have read the pamphlets long before and was feeding her child NOTHING but the soy milk brought the child to the hospital because it was under-nourished and unwell. The baby was fine with NO after effects. The judge gave the maximum fine and an unprecedented jail sentence to the young CEO (whose company at the time was clearing, oh 100,000 a year) and almost put them out of business. Slander and gossip and backstabbing has never changed from the days of St. Paul till now.

Posted by Bede on Thursday, Apr, 25, 2013 12:55 PM (EDT):

I just placed my first online order with Eden Foods; I urge readers to show their support and to do the same and to order frequently from them.

Posted by Mary on Thursday, Apr, 25, 2013 12:53 PM (EDT):

God Bless Eden Foods!!!
“The only thing for the triumph of Evil is for good men do nothing” - Edmund Burke

Posted by Beverly on Thursday, Apr, 25, 2013 12:47 PM (EDT):

Could one not argue that believing in purity as far as sexual relations goes means a healthier population, therefore, the company’s stance on the HHS mandate is consistent with providing healthier, purer food? With sexually transmitted diseases affecting a large percentage of the US population, should we not be encouraging EVERYONE not in a monogamous relationship (hopefully married) to restrain from having sex?
Other than for produce, and sometimes meat, I do not usually seek out organic foods. That will now change - I will be buying Eden products.

Posted by Dr. Mary Callan on Thursday, Apr, 25, 2013 12:09 PM (EDT):

PRAISE GOD! I have typically avoided buying “organic” food because most of the companies and people producing it were outright socialists, and had an odd combination of save-the-planet but kill-the-babies-of-the-poor agenda. After reading this, I will make a special effort to support Eden Foods in my purchases! I can almost taste the EdenSoy already….

“But Mercino responds that Potter’s Catholic faith and values had influenced the creation of Eden Foods back in the sixties and still anchored his company policies.”

Really? Was is that faith and values that led him to lie about his soymilk in the eighties and misrepresent it as baby formula? Was it his faith and values that allowed him to buy a reduced sentence when babies were harmed by that deception?

He cannot even state any religious principles that lead to this decision. No real Christian would support someone using a religion the way he has. He does not care about religion. He is only using it for the lawsuit. Christians should be just as appalled as his hippie customers.

Also, did everyone forget that Pope Benedict XVI and other church leaders declared healthcare a human right? Anyone who supports this greedy creep should be ashamed of themselves.

Posted by Liz on Thursday, Apr, 25, 2013 12:04 AM (EDT):

Thanks for covering this. I wish you had included more about the fact that the CEO has a problem with contraceptives because they are level one carcinogens and inherently violate the healthy living his company promotes.

I’m going to my local “natural foods” store and specifically going to buy some Eden products, even if I wouldn’t necessarily buy them otherwise. May Mr. Potter stand fast!

Posted by RMW on Wednesday, Apr, 24, 2013 8:25 PM (EDT):

Finding it and buying it tomorrow!

Posted by Jerry on Wednesday, Apr, 24, 2013 8:17 PM (EDT):

As a gay, atheist, liberal pro-lifer, who thinks that people who want to engage in sex and don’t use contraceptives are stupid, I stand by all the attempts to stop Obamacare (something I don’t support, since it won’t help millions like us who can’t afford health care - it only helps greedy, corporatist insurance companies) from mandating that everyone must fund contraception for those who engage in sex, especially women.(edited for content)

Posted by Theresa on Wednesday, Apr, 24, 2013 7:18 PM (EDT):

Looking for something to order from them on Amazon… I think I like this company!!!!

Join the Discussion

We encourage a lively and honest discussion of our content. We ask that charity guide your words.
By submitting this form, you are agreeing to our discussion guidelines.
Comments are published at our discretion. We won't publish comments that lack charity, are off topic, or are more than 400 words.
Thank you for keeping this forum thoughtful and respectful.